A BOOK about an 80-year-old unsolved murder in Hagley has just hit the shelves and promises to be a favourite for true crime lovers.
The Hagley Wood Murder by MJ Trow is the first book to go through the case.
In April 1943, four teenage boys discovered a corpse stuffed into the base of a Wych Elm in a wood in Hagley.
The body was just bones and had been in the tree for up to two years.
The pathologist determined she was female, probably in her 30s, had given birth and was just under five feet tall.
The cause of death was probably suffocation.
Six months after the discovery, mysterious messages began to appear on walls in the area, variants of ‘Who Put Bella Down the Wych Elm – Hagley Wood’.
And the name Bella has stuck ever since.
There have been several theories about the murder – in this book, the author debunks those theories and puts forward his own thoughts on this unsolved case.
The Hagley Wood Murder, released earlier this month, is available for £17.60.
Visit pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Hagley-Wood-Murder-Hardback/ to buy it.
